ANAHEIM — Hampus Lindholm and Brandon Montour formed one defense pair for the Ducks’ exhibition finale Saturday against the Kings, a 3-0 victory at Staples Center. Cam Fowler and Josh Manson formed another. Marcus Pettersson and Luke Schenn skated together in the third pair.

It could stay that way when the Ducks open the regular season Wednesday against the Sharks in San Jose. Or it might be different. Coach Carlyle couldn’t say for certain when the Ducks reconvened for a short practice Sunday at Honda Center.

Carlyle has options.

He certainly could reunite Lindholm with Manson and Fowler with Montour, and he could scratch Pettersson, a rookie, and play Schenn with Andrej Sustr. He has seven defensemen at his disposal and, although they don’t all have the same skills or experience, they could be interchangeable in 2018-19.

“It’s one of those things, where the four of us will adjust to play with each other,” Montour said of himself, Lindholm, Fowler and Manson. “It’s nice to have those combinations, for sure. It’s not up to me, but I hope it’s one of those things where the four of us can interchange.

“If it’s Cam or Hampus, they’re both very talented. I’d be happy to play with either of them.”

That’s fine with Manson, too.

“I’ve played with Hampus,” he said. “We’ve had some great success, but you look at the time I spent with Cam, as well. That one year when I played with (Fowler) to start the year (2016-17) when Hampus was hurt, he came out to a roaring start. We’re comfortable with everyone else.

“It’s a testament to the great ‘D’ corps we have.”

The Ducks lack a dominating defenseman in the mold of Drew Doughty of the Kings or Erik Karlsson or Brent Burns of the Sharks. But the drop-off from No. 1 to No. 7 in the lineup isn’t as great as on some other rosters. The Ducks’ defense corps blends size and strength and speed and skill with the puck.

Shifting to an up-tempo style after many years of playing a more grinding game also means all of the Ducks’ defensemen must be adept at moving the puck out of their own zone and into the offensive end of the ice. The quicker the better. Anyone who can’t get it done will be out of the lineup.

“I’m sure we’ll mix and match,” Carlyle said of juggling defensive personnel throughout the season. “The mandate is we cannot expect to play that up-tempo style of hockey without using everybody. We’re going to make sure we’re aware of that on a daily basis.”

AROUND THE RINK

The Ducks’ medical team will re-evaluate Brian Gibbon’s left hand injury Tuesday, Carlyle said. Gibbons was hurt while blocking a shot during an exhibition Wednesday. … Lindholm didn’t practice Sunday, taking a maintenance day. … Ondrej Kase also was given a day off after he was accidentally kicked in the face in Saturday’s exhibition. He suffered a bloody nose. … Patrick Eaves (shoulder) didn’t skate with his teammates, but Ryan Kesler (hip) did. … The San Diego Gulls and Ontario Reign will play an AHL exhibition at 7 p.m. on Monday at Honda Center. Admission and parking are free.

Elliott Teaford covers the Anaheim Ducks for the Orange County Register and the Southern California News Group. He covered the Ducks for 12 years, including the Stanley Cup season, for the Los Angeles Times and the Daily Breeze before returning to the beat in 2018 for SCNG. He also covered the Lakers for five seasons, including their back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and '10. He once made a jump shot over future Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton during a pickup game in 1980 at Cypress College.